Spotlight on Spokane – Golf
Give your student a break from the rough and get out onto the green at one of the Spokane area’s 33 beautiful golf courses. Whether golf is currently a part of your life or you’re looking for a fun new way to bond with your student, most anyone can enjoy this communal pastime. The Spokane region, dubbed, “an outdoor wonderland”, by the New York Times, offers an array of outdoor activities to fulfill even the most deserving of study breaks. You could go with high octane options like biking, hiking, skiing, and rafting, but after hitting the books, students may want to unwind with the most leisurely of leisure sports, golf. Whether you’re up for a competitive round of 18 holes or a cordial golf cart cruise around the back 9, Spokane has a course for you.
Close to Campus
For a challenge, the competitive golfer may want to attempt the 18 holes of Indian Canyon Golf Course, described as “the jewel of Spokane’s municipal golf system” and rated one of the top public courses in the United States by Golf Digest. For the cost of only $29 to play, you can challenge your glutes to the par 71 course spanning 6,255 yards of ascending slopes and vertical drops the likes of which few other courses dare to offer. From the 479-yard opening hole, you’ll experience a 240-foot descent down the face of the course’s namesake canyon to start your round. This course has been the site of three U.S. Amateur Public Links Championships and is ho Teacher of the Year Award recipient, Kathy Gildersleeve-Jensen. Indian Canyon, complete with stunning vistas of the region’s natural beauty, will give you a unique perspective of what Spokane has to offer golf enthusiasts.
Beyond Indian Canyon, three other municipal courses are within a ten-minute drive of the Gonzaga campus. Downriver Golf Course is the region’s oldest course at just over 100 years old. Its gentle rolling hills, tall swaying pines, and sights and sounds of the Spokane River make this course a true reprieve. It’s just far enough outside of the city for you to forget about the hustle and bustle and to enjoy a relaxing round of 18.
For a break from the hills of the region, Esmerelda Golf Course offers open, flat fairways. This course is a great starting point if you, or your student, are just warming up your swing into the sport of golf. Make this par 70 as fierce or friendly as you like with opportunity abound to perfect all aspects of your game.
The Creek at Qualchan Golf Course is Spokane’s newest addition and rivals Indian Canyon’s natural beauty. Developed with the preservation of nature in mind, Qualchan meanders through the bends and curves of a sanctuary for birds and wildlife. With a creek, five ponds, and wooded hilly terrain, Qualchan presents a rustic challenge while providing serene panoramic views. So when your ball lands in the woods, or one of those five ponds, you can take a deep breath, survey the landscape that surrounds you and let your worries fall away as you take a drop and chip your way onto one of the pristinely manicured greens.
Further Outside the City
In addition to Spokane’s municipal offerings, there are a myriad of public and private courses all within an hour drive of Spokane and into the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho area. This includes the Spokane County golf courses, such as Liberty Lake. Reopening after a six million dollar renovation in 2010, Liberty Lake Golf Course boasts a par 70 layout that is fun and challenging for players of all levels. White sand bunkers and large, wide greens await just 18 miles east of Downtown Spokane in Liberty Lake, Washington.
MeadowWood Golf Course, also located in Liberty Lake, is an open airy course with strategically planted and sporadic trees. In 1996, Golf Digest ranked MeadowWood, “One of the Top 10 Best Public Golf Courses in the State of Washington”. MeadowWood has been well kept and groomed as the residential community has grown around it since 1996.
Hangman Valley Golf Course enjoys its location alongside Latah Creek, just south of Downtown Spokane, which comes into play over seven of the courses holes. Wide fairways allow for your most spirited Happy Gilmore-style drives, making this a fun course to play at any skill level.
A Weekend Retreat
Perhaps you’re looking to make a weekend out of your time with your student and would like a little more distance from campus. You could always tour the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho courses of Circling Raven Golf Club, Hill’s Resort, Avondale Golf Course, and of course, the Coeur d’Alene Golf Municipal Course as well as The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course, just to name a few.
With over 170 days of sunshine the Spokane region can be a golfer’s haven for you and your student, and don’t forget about the wonderful dining options, shopping, and Broadway shows that can round out your golf get-a-way. You can find great Spokane events and activities information at visitspokane.com and my.spokanecity.org. For more information about golf, and any activities in and around Spokane, do not hesitate to contact us at the Office for Parent and Family Relations at 509-313-4154. We’re always happy to help.